Diary of the daughter of Spider-Man
by spidermanwife
Summary: A completely new spin and slightly realistic take on the Spider-Girl story. The story takes a step back from the comics and takes on a vibe that is darker and subtly reflects the mood of The Amazing Spider-Man movie. May and Benjamin Parker lost their father at a young age. Their father's past is brought to light after a visit to Oscorp.
1. Diary of the Daughter of Spider-Man

Memories of my father come in fragments and flashes. I remember how warm and confronting his arms were when he held me. I remember his contagious laugh; how it would start out as a little chuckle and build into this massive force that would easily wrap everyone up in its wave. I remember my brother and me falling asleep at the top of the stairs waiting for him to get home from work. We could never stay up but I remember his gentle hands tucking me back into bed. I remember how he would fall asleep on moms lap; mom gently running her fingers along his brown hair. But most importantly, I remember the last day I ever saw my father.

The last memory I have of him was when I was nine years old. My brother Ben was seven. I remember that he had made us chocolate pancakes that morning and he wore that silly tie I had given him for his birthday. The air felt heavy that night and my parents wouldn't speak in front of us. Right before daddy left for work he took Ben and me on his lap and told us that he loved us. He always told us he loved us, but this time was different. His eyes weren't smiling; no longer the big warm brown I was use to but instead were like holes to a bottomless pit. His expression was full of anxiety but he was trying to cover it up with a fake smile. He told Benjamin that he was the man of the house until he came back. _"Daddy, where are you going?"_ I remember asking him. _"To work, sweetheart."_ He said quietly. This response puzzled me. _"But you just got home."_ Dad quickly looked back at mom then turned back to me. "_My other job, May."_ His expression was grave. Then he said, _"Always be my strong little girl." _After he gave us another hug, he turned to mommy. Their embrace lingered and he kissed her eyelids. I'll be back, he promised. Then he left.

I don't remember the order of events that followed, their all jumbled up in my mind. Mom watching the news. Fire and smoke filling the screen. Mom sitting eerily still. Mom collapsing to the floor. My brother and I crying. My black dress. The rain pelting the flowers on his coffin. His coffin was closed. Benjamin and me spent a few months sleeping with my mom after his death. I wasn't sure whether we had crawled into bed with mom on our own or if she had placed us beside her.

I jolted awake. I had that nightmare again. The same recurring nightmare I've had since I was young. But this time it was slightly different. My body was drenched in sweat and I was shaking uncontrollably. The alarm clock on my bedside table read four am. I laid there for a few minutes, staring off into the darkness and struggling to be still my rapidly beating heart. _"Happy Birthday to me"_, I whispered sarcastically.

_ My name is May Parker and this was my sixteen birthday. It should have been an average day but I had no idea that this would be the first day of a new life. A life much different from the one I was used to. This was the beginning of my metamorphosis into the person I was meant to be. I'm my father's daughter and I was destined to follow in his path. I was destined to be Spider-Girl._


	2. Arachnophobia

_ I had that dream again. The reoccurring nightmare I've had since my father died. It was always the same: I'm walking down a dark and deserted street. Its pitch black and my only source of light is a sole street lamp. There's the outline of a man standing beneath it. I can't make out any features but something about his presence terrifies me. He's calling my name. I don't recognize the voice. I walk towards him but it's as if I'm stuck on a treadmill; my legs are moving but I'm not getting any closer to my destination. Then the dream shifts. A piercing scream fills my ears. The walls are moving. No, they are covered in spiders; thousands of red and blue spiders crawling down the walls, engulfing the entire room, pouring onto me, crawling into my mouth and sealing my eyelids._

_ That's usually where I wake up. My body drenched in sweat, my body shaking uncontrollably, and my heart threatening to pound a hole in my chest. But this time it didn't stop there. I'm in a church. There's an open coffin. Nobody's in there. I feel the weight of a hand on my shoulder and I abruptly turn. It's my father. "It's okay baby," He whispers soothingly. His eyes are a golden brown and he's smiling lovingly._

"_You're going to be okay. I'm here."_

"_Daddy? Are you really here?"_

"_I don't have much time. Your life is going to change."_

"_What do you mean? How?"_

_Then he had that look. The same grave look he had when he held me for the last time. I need you to be my strong girl, He said, "And remember that with great power comes great responsibility." Then I had the sensation I was falling and before I hit the ground I awoke in my bed. It was the morning of my sixteen birthday._

"_You look like hell. Guess it's because you're getting old."_ My brother Benjamin joked as I took a seat at the breakfast table. Normally we would have engaged in witty banter but my mind was occupied with the dream, and not to mention I was exhausted. Mom was already making the chocolate chipped pancakes I loved. She usually didn't make breakfast unless it was one of our birthdays_. "Are you okay, hotshot? Looks like you had a rough night."_ And once again I was struck by how beautiful my mom is. Not everyone's mom use to be a model and once posed for playboy, but my mom was and did. Even with no make-up and her hair in disarray she still looked beautiful. People said I looked like her but I wasn't so sure. I had her green eyes, Ben and I both did, but I wasn't graced with her auburn hair and it did take a bit of work in the morning for me to look even slightly decent.

"_I had that dream again." _I told her, pouring myself a glass of milk. She sighed. _"I thought that nightmare stopped"_, She said, her back to us_. "I did too." "But this time it was different. I saw dad."_ Mom stopped and turned to me. _"You did?"_ She whispered. And she looked at me with so much longing that I immediately regretted saying anything. And as if she caught herself, she turned back to the pancakes. _"Yeah",_ I said hesitantly. _"He told me that line he would always tell us when we were kids. What his uncle would say."_ _"With great power comes great responsibility", _Ben recited automatically. Mom set down a plate of pancakes and sat down with us. She smiled. _"Sounds like him",_ she said, _"We should trade dreams."_ She took a sip of her coffee and yawned. _"It was strange though",_ I told her, the dream replaying over in my mind. _"I dreamt that supermodels were having a pillow flight in my room."_ Ben chimed in, laughing at his joke. I rolled my eyes. _"No one wants to hear about your pubescent dreams, Benjamin."_ Mom caught my eye and winked. _"Which models?"_ She asked_. "Maybe I did a shoot with them."_ Ben's eyes widened and he almost choked on his pancake. _"Ugh!"_ He sputtered. Mom and I burst into laughter. Leave it to my brother to ease the tension.

As Ben and I walked to school I told him about my nightmare. Despite our bantering, we were unusually close. Ben's only a year and a few months younger so there was much of an age difference separating us. He was a jokester but he has always been a great listener and I considered him my confidant_. "So, what do you think it means?"_ I asked when I finished explaining it to him. He shrugged his shoulders. _"I mean it makes perfect sense. You do suffer a bad case of arachnophobia." _I shuttered at the very thought of spiders, a huge fear of mine as long as I could remember. _"And you were probably thinking of dad before you fell asleep."_ The air was cool and the sunlight was illuminating the reddish tint of his hair. _"But what about what he said?"_ I questioned_. "He said there was going to be a change." _But before he could answer I stopped abruptly. There was that feeling again. That strange, tingling sensation that made the hairs on my neck stand up. It was like time was standing still and my senses were heightened. The smacking of a jump rope on the pavement, A man yelling at his wife on the second floor of an apartment building, a butterfly fluttering its wings_. "Something's wrong."_ I said. But I couldn't tell what it was. Everyone was either rushing to work or rushing to school. _"Sis, I think you're making yourself paranoid."_ Ben stated. He was probably right. I began walking ahead, attempting to escape this feeling, forcing Ben for once to catch up with me. I'm going crazy. That's all I need to make my life more complicated.


	3. Welcome to Oscorp

_"Welcome to Oscorp Industries."_ A little circular robot greeted us; hovering above the ground and causing everyone to gasp in wonder. A man in a white coat stepped forward. _"One of our many inventions. That would be all Arthur."_ In response the robot hovered away to greet the next group of incoming students. "_Shall we take a tour?_ Oscorp industries was world renowned partly due to its breakthrough in genetics and partly due to the large controversy that surrounded a few former employees. The news articles called the men **"mad scientists**" and that Oscorp would be the **"end of the human race if allowed to continue."** Despite all the controversy, Oscorp continued to thrive today. Its research on human genetics was revolutionary which lead to the very popular genetic splicing. Not yet legal in every state but quickly catching on in popularity, genetic splicing offered humans to update their senses. I once heard a story about a woman who underwent a procedure that allowed her to see perfectly in the dark. There was an even stranger case that involved a man having the ability to undergo the color changes similar to that of a chameleon.

My brother once made a joke about undergoing one of these procedures and mom grew furious. I knew we were once good friends with the Osborn family when I was a child but mom refused to ever talk about our history with them. The mere mention of Oscorp was not permitted in the Parker household. I was one of the selected students to undergo a tour; forging my mother's handwriting on the permission slip. Whatever mom had against the Osborns, I didn't share. Norman Osborn, founder of Oscorp, left his only grandson the company. Science has always fascinated me so being at Oscorp was dream come true. And to think, I use to play with Norman Osborns grandson.

In the middle of our tour our guide stopped us and asked if any of us were arachnophobic because the next room were about to visit was their spider lab. My heart leap and I could feel the blood rush out of my face. Flash backs of my nightmare replayed across my mind; anxiety building. I was about to excuse myself when someone mentioned Spiderman and if it was possible that his powers could be harnessed and duplicated. I had my own theory on Spider-Man. I believed that he was the product of another experiment gone wrong and that his disappearance was simply a cover up. Of course I kept these theories to myself. Spider-man was another topic that wasn't permitted in the Parker household.

"_Absolutely"_, a voice answered. "_It's only a matter of time. Mark my words: Anything is possible with Oscorp."_ The man wore a very expensive suit and oozed with authority despite his young age. I instantly recognized him as Norman Osborn, or "Normie" as I use to call him when we were children. Some of the students were completely flabbergasted at seeing him in person. He was known as a celebrity due to the power bestowed upon him at a young age. His name alone held great power around the world. After answering a few brief questions he excused himself, unknowingly passing me as he made his exist. I hadn't expected him to notice me. After all, I was only nine the last time he had seen me.

You can do this. Do not panic….. . PANIC. But it was too heart rate was accelerating and it was growing increasingly difficult to take a step toward the door. I had fallen to the back of the line, the last student before me already making their way through the door of the screening room. I took a huge gulp of air and readied myself to face my greatest fear. Ever since the nightmares started after daddy died; spiders have been a phobia of mine. All my life I had been known as a great risk taker, the first to take a dive without even checking if there was water beneath me, and seemingly fearless. But here I was, having an anxiety attack over stupid spiders…. Someone's behind me. I didn't even finish my thought before I instinctively spun around, body tensed as though ready for a fight. It was such a sudden rush of energy that it alarmed me. It felt as though time had once again slowed.

"_Jumpy, Ms. Parker?"_ I was caught face to face with Normie Osborn. A sly smile formed across his lips. _"Is everything alright, Mr. Osborn?"_ The pensive guide asked, poking his head from the door. _"It's alright. It appears Ms. Parker isn't too fond of spiders."_ Normie said, winking at me. "_I'll take over from here."_ Without question the guide nodded and disappeared through the double doors.

"_Normie?_" I squeaked. _"Uh, I mean, Mr. Osborn…."_ Why was I bent on making a fool of myself today?

"_Of course I remember you May."_ He chuckled. "_Don't like spiders?"_

"_Ugh, I love them, those little guys, it's just…."_

"_Would you like to continue the tour with me?"_

_"I'm talking too much. I'm sorry. I do that a lot"._ I confessed, taking a bite of my sandwich to shush myself. After seeing a great portion of Oscorp, at least the areas Normie was authorized to show me, we were now sitting in his office eating sandwiches from the Oscorp café. My head was reeling, mind spinning from the endless possibilities. Normie had kindly tolerated my endless spew of questions. In about an hour and a half I learned a great deal of information about the company but now realized I didn't know much about Normie personally. He had mentioned briefly that his mother had died not long after our families lost touch. That he had lived in Paris and now of course the head of Oscorp.

"_How's auntie MJ? It's been a while since I've seen any of the Parkers. I was convinced your family disappeared off the face of the earth."_

_"She's fine. Still working in the fashion industry. No longer a model, of course."_

_ "Your brother?"_

"_Benjamin's… Just Benjamin. Hard to put him into words." _

Normie leaned back in his swivel chair, analyzing me. He seemed so much older in his grey suit and slicked hair, though I knew he wasn't too much older than me. "_I take it your more comfortable with asking the questions."_ He pointed out, that same amused smile spreading across his face. Then he quickly added, _"There's a great deal of your father within you._

"_Really?" _I asked, interested at the mention of my father.

He nodded. _"You have his spirit. I remember Uncle Pete well. Your parents practically raised me."_

"_I remember you use to bounce basket balls against my head. And of course the Osborn and Parker picnics."_ I started to giggle as a flood of memories started to play across my mind. Memories of a joyful childhood that we both once shared. A time when our families were close and when my father was still alive. I remembered Uncle Harry and Aunt Liz fondly. They were a big part of our family and I had never understood why we had lost contact with them after my fathers death. At the time it had felt as though I was losing everyone close to me. _"I think I miss those picnics the most._" He admitted, turning his chair to face the window, back to me. Then I realized I hadn't asked about Uncle Harry. "_How's your father?" _ It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Normie didn't say a word. He continued to sit with his back to me and I realized I had once again put my foot in my mouth. Then he slowly moved his chair to face me, his eyes seemingly darker than before. "_He's dead"._ He said matter of factly.

At that I wanted to dig myself a hole and curl up and die_. "Oh God. I'm sorry. I didn't know… "_ Then Normie raised an eyebrow in confusion. Then he said, _"It was a long time ago, May._" Then he said, _"You didn't know, did you?"_ What was he talking about? "_No"_, I admitted. "_I hadn't heard about it_…" Then Normie leaned in close to me as if he were about to tell me a secret. "_That's strange. Considering our fathers share a death date._"

"_They what?"_ My heart sunk at this. He had to be joking. Why wouldn't my mother tell me? Come on May, you weren't that young. Surely you remember. Then instantaneously it hit me. "_The accident_." I whispered. My father had been caught in the cross fire, could Uncle Harry had suffered the same fate?

"_Do you really think it was an accident, May?"_

"_No. I mean it was a terrorist plot. The Green Goblin tried to kill all those people…Spider-man even tried to stop him."_

"_Did he?"_

"_They both died."_

"_Don't you find it strange both our fathers died exactly the same day?"_

"_My father worked with the police."_

"_And mine didn't. Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it? How small the world is."_

A chill creeped up my spin. I had the unexplainable urge to run out those doors and get as far away from Oscorp as possible. Then he stood_. "Well I've kept you from your group long enough. I'll have someone escort you to them. Nice to see you again Ms. Parker." _I grabbed my back pack and awkwardly struggled with the straps for a moment. "_Thank you for, uh, everything. I learned a lot today."_ Normie's smile was tight. _"Of course. I enjoyed it. I hope to see you again soon? We have much catching up to do. It's time the Osborn's and the Parkers had another get together."_


	4. Seeking Truth

Where are you!? All of Ben's ten text messages were similar, growing in intensity due to the amount of exclamation points and use of block letters. I was so overwhelmed with the Oscorp visit that I had forgotten to turn on my phone until I was a few blocks from home. His texts were followed by five missed calls from mom and two voicemails on the borderline of hysteria. I had told Ben to cover for me until I got back but I figured I would be home by four at the latest. It was nearly eight. I made a mad dash for my house.

My mother had always been protective of us but it significantly grew in intensity after dad died. When Ben and I were growing up, she would follow us in her car. She would park outside of any restaurant or Movie Theater we were at with our friends and just sit patiently in the car. A silent protector. It was humiliating and it got to the point where I had to beg her to stop. So we came up with the phone call system. We were obligated to text or call her every hour we were apart from her. It was a small price to pay in order to not be followed around. My mother was a modern woman and tried to be very much in tuned with our lives but was uncompromising when it came to her rules.

As I burst into the front door, the first thing I saw was Ben standing by the refrigerator. _"May!"_ He let out a sigh of relief. But then his face changed once I stepped into the kitchen light_. "Are you okay?"_ He asked_. "Where's mom?"_ I asked, cutting to the chase. My head was pounding.

"_Out looking for you, what happened to four o'clock?"_ He asked, taking a quick glance at the clock.

"_I got a personal tour from Normie Osborn. Lost track of time."_

Ben's mouth hung open. _"Norman Osborn! You got a personal tour from the head of Oscorp?"_

I suddenly felt extremely tired. I plopped down at the kitchen table, removing my pony tale, rubbing my skull, causing my long hair to finally be in disarray_. "I'll tell you all about it if I live to see tomorrow."_ But the slamming of the front kept him from answering. There stood mom in her long brown overcoat, breathing heavily, eyes wild with panic. At the sight of me her face changed briefly to relief before glazing over with fury_. "Oscorp!"_ She growled through clenched teeth.

"_I had to tell her." _Ben whispered, instinctively stepping a few steps back. A shiver ran down my spine as I realized that my sixteen birthday marked the end of my existence.

Mom threw her keys down with such force that it scrapped across the table before sliding onto the ground. She just stood there, eyes targeted on me. The best way to get out of this was to admit my wrong.

"_Mom, I know I shouldn't have gone to Oscorp without your permission but I knew you wouldn't have let me- "_

"_Damn right I wouldn't have."_ She countered_. "Not only did you go behind my back but you had me tearing my hair out! Something could have happened to you and I would have had no idea where you were!"_

"_She told me where she was…"_ Ben offered, taking a step forward. Mom shot him a don't-you-dare-speak look and in response he retreated, suddenly interested in the ground. _"I just really wanted to go,"_ I admitted. _"I forgot to turn my phone on."_

Mom stalked toward me_. "You know how I feel about Oscorp._ _That is the one place I demanded that neither of you set foot in. You don't know what that place is capable of! You don't know how dangerous it is. If you were looking for a way to hit me where it hurts then you just hit the jackpot!"_

I was taken aback. She sounded like a science hating delusional hippie_. "I do know."_ I mumbled. Then I quickly continued. _"Everything they do is for a greater good. They want to wipe out diseases, cure people of genetic imperfections….I talked with Normie Osborn."_ At the sound of his name my mother's eyes widened and she raised a hand to cover her mouth. _"Osborn?"_ She breathed.

"_Why do you hate the Osborns?" _

"_What did he tell you? "_

She was beginning to terrify me_. "All about the work behind Oscorp… and some other stuff. Did you know Aunt Liz died? And Uncle Harry-"_

"_Don't you say that name!"_ She snapped.

"_Why do you hate them? Why did we stop talking to them? You were such good friends."_

" _May, don't-"_

"_What are you hiding?" _I wondered out loud.

"_Just stop talking"._ Ben hissed, for once unable to break the tension. But I was determined to at least get one solid answer from her. For once I began to question my mother. What Normie had said continued to echo in my mind. **"Strange isn't it?** He had mused_. "Does it have to do with daddy and Harry dying the same day?"_

Mom's eyes widened as if I had slapped her. After a moment of silence she said, _"Your father is dead. Let the past stay buried with him."_ At that she made her way up the stairs and shut her bedroom door. On the counter sat a chocolate cake with the words **Happy Birthday May** written in red frosting.

Family pictures lay scattered across my bedroom floor. There were pictures of my father around my age, posing in this very room, this very house that I had grown up in. There were pictures of me and Benjamin as kids, sitting on dads lap or playing at the park. There were pictures of my mom and dad holding hands, laughing and kissing. These were the true photos of a fairy tale romance that had a premature ending. There should have been future pictures of them growing wrinkly together.

Then I found a few pictures of The Osborn's. There were photos of my mother and Liz Osborn when they were younger as well as photos of my father with Harry Osborn. There were even group photos of the four of them from younger days as well as a picture not taken too long before my father died. These photos seemed like glossy reminders of a strong friendship that seemingly continued to strive even before my dad's death. So what could have happened? I had mulled over the possibilities of affairs but in the end refused to believe that any one of my parents was unfaithful. So many scenarios passed through my mind but none could be corrected if my mother refused to speak about it. My mother had always been a cut-to-the- chase type person. Never beating around the bush. Answering any questions my brother and I had about the most awkward of subjects; sometimes without a sense of what was deemed as too much information. But when it came to daddy's death or The Osborn's, or costumed vigilantes, she stayed silent. The two names that kept resurfacing, a huge part of the equation, were that of the **Green Goblin** and **Spider-Man**…

I had once spent hours researching Spider-Man for a school assignment. Most of the things that appeared were old Daily Bugle articles back lashing Spider-man. But if you dug deeper there was also old police reports and witness testimonies that depicted Spider-man as a hero. The whole world had its own opinions of the masked vigilante but I always chose to believe that he was a hero. I knew dad had believed that as well mom. Mom use to grow furious whenever a news reporter bashed spider man. But now when I would even mention Spider-Man she quickly changed the subject. So in time it became an unspoken word in the Parker household. She held Spider-man and the Goblin responsible for killing her husband. But as for me, I had no idea what to believe.

I managed to locate the article that concerned the incident. Articles with these sentences stuck out in my mind: **Goblin attacks police station**,**Sixteen dead**, **Spiderman's body not found**, **Crime analyst Peter Parker killed in crossfire, Goblin finished**. There was no mention of Harry Osborn.

I fell asleep that night amongst the scattered pictures, hoping that by some miracle this gaping hole I felt for my father would close. Truth remained my only hope for complete closure. Whatever mom was hiding I felt was the key to closure, not only for me but for her too. If I couldn't figure it on my own then I would have to talk to someone who did. Someone with the name of Osborn.


	5. End of Humanity

**_Authors Note:_**

**_ I am very much aware of the origin of Carnage and that he is in fact a symbiote. But for story purposes I put a new twist on symbiotes, making Carnage first appear in Spider-Girls world. Although it harbors the name Carnage, its backstroy is obviously different to Spider-Man's Carnage. I just used the name in order to make my point across. Also, I would like to hear what you think of the character of Ben. I would love to hear from my readers! _**

The day after my birthday, I called Normie was every intention of figuring out our families history. But one thing led to another and I found myself spending much of my time at Oscorp. My schedule was always so full with extracurricular activates that my mother wouldn't suspect anything as long as I was home by six.

I felt Normie knew something but was withholding information. As determined as I was, he had a way of evading questions. I found myself deeply fascinated by this young man who seemed so much wiser beyond his years. The last time I saw him he was seventeen and I was nine. Most of my childhood memories consist of the time I spent following at Normies heels. He teased and protected me like a big brother. Those memories seemed as though they were from a different life time. A lifetime where my father was still alive and the Osborn's would come over for Christmas. But ever since I reconnected with him, these last few weeks felt as though I had found a part of myself that had long gone missing. This was the first time in my life when I was able to let my responsibility slide without the pressing guilt. For once I didn't need my mother's approval.

" _What I'm about to show you is classified."_ Normie said. The room was pitched black except for the luminous glow of a large computer screen. With a click of a few keys a large hologram of Spider-Man appeared in the center of the room. Normie stood opposite of me, transparent through the image. _"Spider-Man was one of the most fascinating species that ever walked the earth",_ he said. _"Inhuman-like speed and agility, able to precisely mimic the movements of a spider. His existence was highly controversial. What few people do know is that Spider-Man was a product of Oscorp."_ My eyes widened at this knowledge. I was right all this time. Normie smiled, having noticed my expression. _"You don't look very surprised. You're a smart girl."_ Then an image of a blue and red spider appeared. A chill went through my spine.

"_Oscorp spent years on contriving a genetically superior spider that could potentially alter a humans DNA. Creaing a human being with the abilities of animals. I'm sure you've heard of DNA splicing? Still very much in its early stages but set back quite a bit due to Spider-Man. No one knows how he was able to get ahold of our spider and not knowing his identity made him a difficult subject to study. People were already terrified with spider-man that the idea itself was left to collect dust. Until now." _

Normie was perfectly still but his eyes danced with an uncontained excitement. The light suddenly switched on. Was a wave of his hand he motioned for me to follow him into another room, which he opened with an Oscorp key card. I followed at his heels. The room was freezing. There was a large container in the center of the room. It looked like a fish tank without the water. I shot Normie a quizzical look but he smiled and said _"Go ahead little May."_ As I got closer I saw a dark shapeless figure huddled in one corner of the tank. It seemed like some kind of animal but it had no distinctive features. I turned to Normie. _"What is it? Some kind of new species…?"_ He gestured with his chin for me to take another look. The creature appeared to be slightly moving. Then once again that strange tingling sensation I had been experiencing for the last three weeks returned. The creature launched itself against the glass. It expanded until it completely filled the tank. It began to repeatedly throw itself against the side of the glass I was looking through. The tank slightly shook despite its desperate attempts. I stepped back until I bumped into Normie. He laughed at my anxiety.

"_Don't worry little May, it's a special glass. Meet carnage: Science's answer to human weakness."_

Normie went on to say that the creature, once in contact with a host, latched on to the said host and cured any ailment or disease. Oscorp had tested the creature, previously exposing a diseased mouse to the creature. The creature latched on to the rats back; almost completely engulfing the rat before reducing to a tiny mark upon the mouse's back. The mouse made a complete recovery and displayed increase strength and ability. Then after a few weeks, the rat showed signs of uncharacteristic aggression that soon give way to violence. "Carnage" proved difficult to remove and once removed the mouse grew ill before dying 24 hours later. Normie referred to the mouse's death as a _"fluke"_ that could soon be _"corrected."_ As fascinating as this was, it made me uneasy. Oscorp was known for their strange experiments but this sent out alarms in my head. I couldn't be in the room without that tingling sensation growing in intensity until it forced me to leave the room. I was not afraid of science as my mother seemingly was but **this creature filled me with anxiety.**

"_So I guess yearbook is now being held at Oscorp."_

Ben was waiting for me as soon as I had exited the building. He had his arms crossed as he waited for me to explain myself. So I had no choice but to tell him the truth. He didn't say anything as we walked but I could tell he was a little annoyed that I had been hiding something from him. Then when I mentioned my love for science, he snorted.

"_Right May. Your love for science is what draws you to Oscorp."_

"_What are you insulating?"_

"_That you have a crush on Osborn."_

I rolled my eyes and began walking at a faster pace. _"You are way off."_ I protested. Ben laughed. His green eyes danced with amusement. He was on a roll and he wasn't going to stop.

"_Oh Normie!_"He mocked in an overly exaggerated impersonation of a famine voice.

"_Girls do not sound remotely close to that! And second of all, is it so hard to believe I'm just passionate about science?"_

Ben has always been very intelligent. I would never admit this out loud but he was smarter than me. Everything just came more naturally to Ben. What truly separated us was that I was an over achiever while he refused to do something if he didn't see it as relevant. He could have easily been at the top of his class but he chose to remain at a B average.

"_Come on sis. Even for science you wouldn't risk going behind mom's back."_

It deeply frustrated me when men always assumed that a man had to be behind a woman's success. We went back and forth on this topic until we finally reached the subway station. The train we took was practically deserted except for five men bunched together at the opposite end of the train car. They were all tattooed up and had shaved heads. One of them kept staring at me; making obnoxious kissing noises to catch my attention. I'm born and bred New Yorker so I had much experience in dealing with idiots. I turned my back on them and Ben and I resumed our conversation.

Then I once again felt that tingling sensation. The men began to make their way toward us. A smaller guy walked slightly ahead of the rest like a leader of a pact. Ben gave me a look and slightly nodded his head as if telling me to stay calm but the alarm in my head continued to sound.

" _Hey sexy lady",_ the leader said, sitting next to me. His breath smelled heavily of alcohol. A muscular looking guy hovered beside Ben while the others sat across from us. _"Now aren't you beautiful."_ The leader said, leaning closer to me. He reached to touch my hair and I turned away. "_Oh I see how it is. You don't wanna make the boyfriend jealous, huh?"_ The leader shot a look at Ben. Why don't you dump this kid and experience a man?"

"_The lady doesn't want to talk to you."_ Ben said flatly. The bigger guy clutched Ben's shoulder and turned him to face him. _"We weren't talking to your skinny ass."_ He pulled out a switch blade and held it close to Ben's face. _"Hey! Leave him alone! We don't want any trouble!"_ I protested. My body was tense as it realized that flight may not be an option. Mom had taken me to a few self-defense classes but here we were out numbered. _"Then don't scream."_ Was the leaders response. The other men moved closer until they encircled us. They didn't want money. _They wanted me._ The big guy dragged Ben out of the circle, pressing the blade against his throat as he desperately began to struggle.

It seemed as though time itself began to slow and all sound was removed. I see Ben's pleading eyes, his lips forming my name. **Buh-Bump. Buh-Bump,** my heart sounded. The men were moving closer to me. Devious smiles played across their lips as they laughed. The leader reached a hand toward me in slow motion. Instinctively I jumped up and found myself for a split second upside down_**. I was sticking to the ceiling!**_ I jumped down once again and the guys looked at me in bewilderment. Even Ben momentarily stopped struggling. _"What the hell!?"_ One of the guys exclaimed, attempting to grab me but instead running into my fist. I had no time to think, only time to react. It was as if I were a puppet being compelled by strings or an actor flying on wires. Ben managed to slip out of the guys grasp and they began to struggle over the blade. Fists aimed for me were quickly dodged. It was as if my body was overdosed on adrenaline. One of the men went flying and knocked the other into a pole. Another guy went sailing over my shoulder. Did I actually throw him!? And another guy went sliding across the floor until he was stopped by the wall. The big guy and Ben were climbing over each other to retrieve the blade. The guy retrieved the knife and was about to stab Ben in the chest when I kicked it out of his hand.

In a matter of seconds the muscular guy felt flat on his face. The leader scrambled away, slamming his hands against the door. _"Let me out! She's not right!"_ He yelled. The guy took one look at me and cowered in the cornor as if I were some deadly creature. I turned to Ben, hoping he had an explanation to what just occurred. He mouth hung open and he too was looking at me as if I were some lad experiment gone wrong. _**Like I wasn't human.**__**Maybe I wasn't. Could human beings do what I just did?**_


	6. What happened to Daddy?

"_What am I ?!" _I shrieked. The doorknob broke off in my hand. Rain poured against my back and I was uncontrollably shaking from fear rather than the cold. My mother had come running down the stairs; red hair flowing around her head like a ball of fire. "_May! What happened? Baby what happened?"_ She tried to embrace me but I moved away.

"_What am I!"_ I repeated my voice shrill and unrecognizable. Mom shot a pleading look at Ben, who was standing behind me. His eyes were wide and he was shaking his head in disbelief.

"_There were these men"_…. I stammered

"_Oh my God, did they hurt you?"_

"_On the subway!"_

"_What did they do, May!?"_

My mind was jumbled and I was unable to articulate exactly what happened. I was completely terrified, not sure if it was due to the thought of what those men were going to do to me or what I did to them. My mother continued to bagger me with questions but her voice became nothing but a muffled sound. All I could see was the look in my father's eyes the last time I saw them. **"**_**Your life is going to change"**_, my father had warned in my dream. Newspapers flashed across my mind about the accident that had claimed his life**. "**_**Strange isn't it?"**_ Normie's voice echoed in my mind. Mom had her coat on and she grabbed my hand. "_I'm taking you to the hospital" !_Mom began to lead me out the door but I stood fixed in place. "_Baby"_, she pleaded with me_. "If they hurt you we need-"_

"_She's not hurt."_ Ben managed to utter. "_They weren't able to touch her! She was too fast_." Her gaze bounced from Ben's face to mine. "_I don't-_ "She began but I cut in.

"_What happened to Daddy?" _ I asked my voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes buried deep into mine as if searching for an answer. "_What happened to our father!" _I spat. The blood from her face drained and she turned her back to us, hand flying to cover her mouth as if she were trying to push down a wave of nausea. Her shoulders shook and when she once again faced us she had this look in her eyes. It was the look of total defeat.

An eerie silence fell upon the house and nothing but the tick tick of the kitchen clock could be heard. Mom told us to follow her to the attic. The first thing I noticed was a large and dusty dark green trunk. I knew this trunk. The trunk was locked by a key and Ben and I use to make up stories about what was in it. She once caught us as children making a poor attempt at prying it open. She had yelled at us and banned us from ever entering the attic without her supervision. We soon forgot entirely of the mystery trunk and to see it once again was like being sent back to my childhood.

Mom retrieved a key and placed it in the keyhole. Then she hesitated, turning to face us. The story of Pandora's box came to mind. _"I love you both, so much." _She whispered as if she was confessing to a priest on the other side of the confessional_. "I only wanted to protect you._" "_Protect us from what?"_ Ben asked. Mom pressed a hand to his cheek.

"_From our family history." _She said gravely. And with that she turned the key and lifted open the trunk. The first thing I saw were two blank eyes gazing back at me. I reached in and ran my fingers around the strange material. **What is this?** As I pulled it out of the trunk I noticed it was a mask. A mask I had seen all my life but never took the time to truly see. "_A Spider-Man mask?_" Ben asked, digging in the trunk and retrieving a long glove. "_Is this some kind of joke"_

"_It belonged to your father."_

Ben sat huddled in a corner, arms crossed and eyes refusing to look up from the floor. Mom was clutching her coffee mug, taking tiny sips of the now probably stone cold liquid. I sat on the floor, slightly rocking back and forth for comfort**. My father is Spider-Man.** I kept repeating over and over in my mind, still unable to comprehend it. I'm Spider-Man's daughter. Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

"_Once May was born he decided to quit. And for the first time in our marriage I was able to sleep through a night without worrying if he was going to come home. Norman Osborn was dead. New York had never been we were so happy. I no longer had to share my husband with Spiderman or the rest of the world"_

My mother's crying. She hasn't cried since I was a child. I want to comfort her, tell her everything's going to be okay. My body is paralyzed with the amount of information that is swimming in my head. The world's gone insane. My father is Spider-Man. My mother didn't tell us.

"_You had asked me what happened to The Osborn's. They were our best friends. Harry was your father's roommate in college and part of our circle of friends. Norman's death put a strain on Harry. He blamed Spider-Man for his death. He had no idea what his father was… He became reclusive and withdrew from the rest of us. Peter felt awful. Then Harry married Liz Allen. Liz awakene something within him and pretty soon we were all together again as if no time had passed. Then Harry became very sick…..And the Goblin made another appearance…"_

I gasped. I examined the photo of Harry Osborn. He didn't seem like a terrorist. Soft spoken, always smiling, Harry Osborn. He couldn't hurt a fly….

"_Harry lost his mind, threatened us. Said he knew everything. He knew Peter was Spider-Man and he wanted him was able to ge through to him. Harry seeked professional help and Liz gave birth to Normie. Things seemed back to normal between the Osborns and the Parkers. Then when I found out I was pregnant with May, Peter decided that his family needed Peter Parker. He quit being Spider-Man and I was so sure that everything was going to wonderful._" She chuckled bitterly.

"_Harry lost it again many fears later and it forced your father to suit up one last time….They were both killed in that final battle….I never saw Liz or Normie again. I never saw Peter again._" She began to sob like a child and I too began to cry.

We embraced eachother. The fragrance of her perfume engulfing and comforting me_. "Mom?" _I asked, pulling away to meet her eyes. "_How could you keep this to yourself? We had a right to know."_

" _I thought that maybe all of his was finally over."_

"_It's not mom. It's happening again. It's happening to me."_ Then I buried my face in her hair **like a small child who thinks that nothing could harm them if they just close their eyes tight.**


	7. My Father's Daughter

For the first time in my life I felt completely free. The cold night air exuberant and rejuvenating as it whipped past my body. The city lights were never brighter and the architectural structures of buildings were never more appreciated. I was flying! I was soaring above the city. I was a bullet freshly fired from a gun. I wasn't great at using the web shooters though; I've almost smashed into two buildings and one window. Luckily, wearing all black made it harder for anyone to distinguish me. I must look like a cat burglar with my makeshift mask but mom would have noticed if I had touched dads mask.

"_You can't let anyone know. We can't afford to even let anyone suspect." Mom had told us that very night that we learned our father was Spider-Man. Your father's identity put his family in constant danger. And even though he's gone…..we aren't out of the woods. That's why I've always been so protective. You're both very special, more than any other children on this earth. You have your father's blood in you."_ Her words sent a shiver through my spine. _No one can found out what you are. What you can do... Am I clear?_ Part of me wanted to bump myself on the head and forget this entire conversation; but a larger part of me knew that it was my birth right.

After that night, days passed by in a haze. Mom tried to act as though nothing had changed but there was no denying that she felt as though the protective bubble she had placed over her children finally popped. I had so many questions but it was like there was some kind of unspoken rule about mentioning our father's past. Our family conversation seemed forced and Ben and I spent a great deal of our time in the attic.

"_Wonder when my powers will kick in_." Ben had said one afternoon as we were rummaging through the old trunk in the attic. Mom had collected dozens of news articles and magazine clippings on spider-man over the years, as well as various items we had yet to ask about_. I don't know_, I said_. It can happen any time. Not that it matters. Mom freaks even if I move too quickly"._ We went completely silent, lost in our father's history. I don't know how long we were up there until Ben finally spoke again.

"_If your powers hadn't kicked in…. I couldn't help you that night on the subway."_ His voice trailed off and he refused to meet my eyes.

" _You did everything you could."_

"_It wasn't enough… Does it scare you? The power you now have? "_

His question caught me completely by surprise. How did I feel? It was a lot to take in and I still hadn't full processed it all yet_." I don't know what to feel"_, I confessed. "_I barely knew how to be me before all of this."_

Ben snorted_. "Little Miss Perfect? Come on May, who else at school can easily drift from the nerds to the jocks, the theatre kids, and the-"_

"_I just talk to people. That doesn't mean I'm still not lost. I barely knew where I stood before but now things changed again and I'm completely lost."_

And I was certainly lost and confused until it all finally linked together. I had stayed after school for year book and was returning from the restroom when I heard them all the way from the football field. Lucy Chapman was standing near the bleachers, arguing with her boyfriend, Raymond Stevens. The little argument quickly escalated and just as Raymond's fist was about to reach Lucy's face, I intervened. Since that day, I realized that I could stop people from being victims, like me on the subway. I had no intention of being a hero, just perhaps a helpful citizen with a sense for danger. As long as I wasn't gallivanting as a hero then I wouldn't be spotted on the news. I didn't exactly look for trouble but it still had a way of finding me. I stopped a pick pocket, a drug store theft, a domestic abuse, and even averted a child abduction. And with every deed, I felt one step closer to my father and gained another piece of myself. But the stakes were raised once I stopped a murder.

The news was reporting a serial killer who had previously claimed the life of three. It would have driven me crazy if I hadn't done something. I didn't expect to find him. But I had to look. Then when I found him without even searching. I had just returned from the movies when I heard her screams. It was too low for human ears but I could hear her. .After dialing 911 I acted purely from instinct. I climbed up the fire escape leading to the 5th floor of an apartment complex and tore open a barred window as if it were no harder than ripping paper. He had her pinned against the floor, his knife raised, ready to make a fatale plunge_." Stop!"_ I shouted, startling the man. Then once he looked up I recognized him from the police sketches. I wasn't wearing a mask or anything to conceal my identity so when the man saw this teenaged girl standing helplessly in front of him, he felt pretty secure.

The man turned on me. He tried to grab me but I was faster and managed to shatter a lamp shade over his head. I still didn't know the possibilities of my strength and I wind up knocking him girl, not much older than me, was cowering in the corner, tears rolling down her cheeks. "_He was going to kill me",_ she said sobbed. _You stopped him. "How did -?"_

"_I saw him on the news." _I told her_. "The police are on their way."_

. " _But how did you-"_

"_I was, uh, in the neighborhood….."_

Then I heard the sound of sirens nearing and I knew I couldn't be a witness. Mom couldn't find out_. "Tell the cops he attacked you, but you were able to stop him. I was never here."_

" _Are you an an- angel?"_ The girl stammered.

_I'm just….my father's daughter."_ I admitted. And then I left.

Ever since that night, there was no turning back. Finally I understood what dad had meant when he used to tell us that _**"With great power comes great responsibility."**_ I had inherited these powers for a reason and it was my duty to use them to help people. My dad knew that. I just needed to continue to stay out of the public eye. I wasn't ready to be as great as Spider-Man but I couldn't just stand by and let people get hurt. It finally all clicked and I suddenly knew who I was.** I was my father's daughter. I was the daughter of Spider-Man.**


	8. The Sound of Silence

_"Two minutes exactly."_ Ben said, checking his phone. We were on the track field after school; I had asked Ben to time me as I ran around the entire school and back around the football field. _"I could do better than that", _I declared. I hadn't even broken a sweat yet. I reached up to pull back my long brown hair and then realized it was no longer there. In order to make myself less conspicuous when I went on my little nightly patrols, I had cut it into a short bob. It also made my hair much easier to manage when I put on that uncomfortable mask that still resembled a red ski mask. Mom thought it was a fashion statement and praised the fact that I could no longer "hide" behind my hair.

_"You're fast. I get it, okay?" _Ben snapped. He had been acting a bit strangely this week; a lot more reserved, even with me._ "What's your problem?"_

_ "I'm just tired of you rubbing this whole thing in my face!"_

_ "What are you talking about?"_

_ "This whole superpower thing!"_

_ "Where is this coming from?"_

This puzzled me greatly. Ben had been the only I had told my secret to and he had been fully supportive. It was like we were two children playing detective with the exception being that the people were real and we were no longer supposed to be children. Ben rolled his eyes in response and put his hood on despite the heat. _"Forget it"_, he said. _"Just go back to playing hero. Non super people like me have homework."_ Then he began walking away from me.

"_Why are you being this way?"_ He just kept walking so I moved so I was in front of him. He hadn't even seen me move. This only angered him further.

"_Impressive, sis!_ He mocked, quickly throwing in applause.

This annoyed the hell out of me. _"Why are you being a jerk! Are you jealous or something?"_

"_Are you serious?" _Ben spat. _"Jealous that you're a freak? You tried so hard to be perfect but now you're just a freak."_

His words stung worse than a slap. I could feel my eyes watering but I bit my lip and held it in. _"Never let anyone see you cry", _Mom had always said.

"_I'm sorry you feel that way"_, I told him as calmly as possible_. "And I'm sorry that I ever told you anything." _

Now it was my turn to walk away_. "May!"_ Ben called, clearly rethinking his comments, but I just kept walking. I was doing the right thing. I was helping people. I shouldn't expect anyone to understand. But what hurt more than anything was the realization to how society would perceive me if they knew what I could do. _**I was a freak. **_But I preferred being a freak any day over being one of _**them**_.

"_Hello May."_ Normie Osborn greeted me as soon as I opened the door. He stood on my front porch; his ashy blonde hair wasn't slicked as usual and for once he had traded in his suit for more casual looking clothes. _"The house is just like I remember it. Nothing's changed."_

"_What are you doing here?"_ I blurted

"_I came to see you",_ He flashed me a whitened smile_. "You disappeared on me."_

I quickly looked behind me. Mom was going out with a friend so thankfully she wasn't home and Ben was over a friend's house. It was certainly strange to see an Osborn in such an average looking neighborhood. He probably lived in a mansion with servants and a limo parked outside. But then again, he had grown up here. This was his house as much as it was mine. I decided it was time for an Osborn to once again cross the Parker threshold_. "Why don't you_ _come in?"_

It took a few minutes of awkwardness but pretty soon we were eating leftover fettuccine alfredo on the dining room table; laughing and reminiscing about our childhood. Never before had I seen Normie so relaxed, so casual, and less intimidating. This was how I remembered him. And in casual clothing he seemed younger like the suit had added ten years.

"_You blamed me for everything!"_ I giggled. _"That's why I would hit you."_

_Not true! You hit everyone! You were a little brat._ He declared.

When we finished I put the dishes in the sink and immediately began to wash them to hide the evidence_. "Are you coming back to Oscorp?"_ Normie asked. I shrugged my shoulders. _"Honestly, I don't know", _I admitted.

"_You're a smart girl. Why the change of heart?"_

I bit my lip_. "It's my mom…..she isn't a fan of the um, company."_ Normie stayed quiet. I turned around to face him but he was no longer there. He stood in the living room, admiring the pictures on the wall. He was so still, as though he were studying paintings in an art museum. I walked over and stood beside him, looking up at the pictures that I knew well but hadn't truly looked at in a long time. Above the mantle hung a Parker family portrait; Mom had one arm around my father's shoulder, her long hair curled, head touching his. Benjamin and I couldn't be much older than five or seven; Ben sat on our fathers lap, smiling widely, exposing the gaps in his teeth. I stood to the side of my father in a light blue puffy dress with fake flowers sewn on. A mischievous smile painted on my face as if I were enjoying a secret that no one else knew. That very smile inspired my father's nickname for me: Mayday. Mayday as _**in look out, danger! **_The name stuck with me and a majority of people were convinced it was my full name. My dad was smiling, his soft brown eyes glimmering. **Peter Parker, family man. Peter Parker, Spider-Man. How could he be both? How were they one in the same?**

"_Life seems so unpredictable. But yet our actions, our choices, are already layed out before us even before birth. Who you are going to be is already set"_, Normie said, eyes not straying from the portrait.

"_I like to think that as human beings we have choice."_ I confessed. Normie then turned to look at me with an amused expression. _"Yet we continue to carry out the sins of our fathers." _He countered. I snapped my head in his direction. Could he also know?

"_What do you know about the dispute between our families?"_ I asked.

"_You know, my mother use to say 'that the truth can scar more than a lie. Because you can't take it back.' " _Normies eyes burrowed into mine and I responded with an equally intense stare.

"_It's better than living in the darkness."_ I responded

"_People fight, May. Always have and always will."_

"_What if they decide that they no longer want to?_

"_Then they'll die."_

There was an ominous tone in his voice. It was like a million alarms were sounding off in my head. It was that feeling…..the feeling I got just before something bad happened… Then the door swung open and the alarms suddenly faded. My mom stood in the doorway, her mouth agape, behind her stood Flash Thompson, a family friend. Normie flashed her a gleaming smile. _"Hey auntie Jane! It's been a long time!"_

Mom, as calmly as possible, had asked Normie to leave. Before he walked out the door, he had turned on his heel, still manipulating charm. Then he winked at me and said: _"I'll see you soon, Mayday."_

Mom was in hysterics and uncle Flash tried to console her. She questioned me like a criminal and I had no choice but to tell her about the internship at Oscorp. _"Do you think this a game? That our lives are yours to gamble!"_ She said furiously. I tried to explain to her but she was past the point of rage and I wasn't sure if uncle Flash knew our little family secret. Ben walked in the middle of it all and suddenly everyone was talking at once and my head was spinning. _**What the hell had just happened? What would have happened if we hadn't been interrupted?**_ I couldn't breathe, I needed air. I suddenly made a sprint for the door. I could hear them yelling my name but the cold air was so inviting. It was like jumping into a pool on a hot summer day and then as soon as you submerge under water, there is this moment of silence. _**I longed for silence…**_


	9. The Deal

I had a dream that I was a little girl again; everyone was much taller than me. The dream lost clarity the moment I woke up but I remember feeling as though no one could see me. It was like that childhood anxiety we all got whenever we were unable to find our parents. The adults had obscured faces and I could really only see their legs as they passed by me. I kept moving forward but I continued to be lost among the sea of legs. Then suddenly, my daddy found me and scooped me up in his arms; I was safe and taller than anyone else. Then he disappeared and I was alone again. And when I awoke in my bed, I was alone even in reality.

I don't remember what time I got home and I knew that they must have spent a long time looking for me last night after the Normie incident. I knew another explosion was ready to erupt that morning as soon as I woke up but I had to face it.

I crept silently downstairs; hoping that everyone was still asleep at 10 am on a Saturday morning. Then I heard voices coming from the kitchen. One of them belonged to my mother and the other voice belonged to…..**Uncle Flash?**

-"just picture it."

"I can't just leave the kids. May's going through a hard time."

"Only a few days. She's a teenager. Time apart will do you both some good."

"Flash, I don't-"

"Just think about it MJ. You know how I feel about you. We have to move on."

There was a few moments of silence where I could hear both of their hearts beating rapidly. Then Flash said he would call her and the front door shut. Flash Thompson: friend of the family, handy man, coach, divorcee, and possibly stepfather? I felt so blindsided.

"_How long have you been listening?" _Mom asked nonchalantly.

"_How did you know?"_

"_I'm a mother. And I have had plenty of practice with your father."_

Mom was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee. She was wearing her pink- day -off robe. After standing awkwardly for a few moments I poured myself some cereal and took a seat. After a few minutes of torturous silence I started _"Uncle Flash and you? How long?" Mom looked me in the eyes and exhaled. "You're not a baby anymore."_ She said_**. "Keeping things to yourself never works out because the truth eventually surfaces.**__ Flash and I, it's complicated. We're not dating; I don't know what we are. After Peter died…..I was in pretty bad shape. And Flash was going through his divorce. We took comfort in each other. He wanted more from me but I couldn't. Still, he's always been there for us."_

"_I feel stupid for never even noticing"_, I said, _"Growing up, I should have known."_

"_There was nothing. __**I love your father, May.**__**Nothing and no one will change that.**__ I'm still married to him."_ She broke eye contact to stare out the window. She seemed so tired, so worn. I hated seeing her like this.

"_Mom, no one would blame you. You deserve to be happy." _At this she suddenly seemed really sad and I wished I hadn't said anything. _**"I don't think happy is in our stars"**__,_ she said. _"Not with the Parker luck. It doesn't last."_ I didn't know what to say so I moved the soggy bits of my cereal around with my spoon.

"_I'm terrified",_ she continued_. "I can't protect you anymore. I really thought that all this was over. I thought that I could give you a normal life."_ Her voice cracked with emotion and she turned her gaze toward the kitchen window.

"_But I'm not normal, mom."_ I confessed. _"I'm a freak, I can accept that. Whatever this is, I'm making the best of it. Can't you just trust me?" _

Mom suddenly stood and made her way to the living room. She came back with her tablet and placed it in front of me. The screen showed an article that's headline read: **Guardian Angel or Vigilante?** I didn't have to read past the first sentence to know what it was about but I read anyway. It talked of a **"vigilante"** that **"stalked dangerous criminals."** There were two witnesses that claimed to have been saved by the said person and one of them claimed that the masked vigilante was a woman. I could feel my mother's eyes burning a hole in my head.

"_It's not as bad as it seems…" _I started.

"These are killers, May. It's not a game where you get a do over. We're talking about people's lives."

"_I'm faster and stronger than any of those sickos."_

"_They'll always be someone stronger. It's only a matter of time."_

"_Those guys that Spider-Man use to fight are no longer around and the cops have a tighter system now. I'm helping people. Why can't you understand that?"_

Mom shook her head in disbelief at me. _"You really are your father's daughter. Your father learned the hard way… I can bar your windows, yell at you till I turn blue, but we both know that it won't change anything."_

"_It won't",_ I admitted. Mom nodded in agreement and put her fingers on her temples. Then she said, _"How about a deal? Wait till you graduate. It'll give you time to decide if this is something you will continue to do. All I'm asking is for more time before….before all hell breaks loose. Just because you're powers kicked in doesn't mean you have an obligation. Your dad talked about responsibility, and he knew his priorities when it came to family. He wouldn't want this for you. Ben and I need you here with us"._

A wave of emotions suddenly washed over me as she held my hand**: guilt, sorrow, resentment, confusion, and other various emotions coursed through me.** My strong and defiant disposition faded. Suddenly I was no longer confident in the path I had chosen. I hated that she had mentioned my dead father and I hated she was playing the family card against me. **But with my family against me how could I do this?** Was I made to be alone?

Mom, clearly aware of my ambivalence said: "Please. As your mother, I'm begging you to consider this. I don't I'm as strong as I use to be."

"I'll do it for you, mom." And just like that I realized that I would never change. That I would spend the rest of my life trying to please my mother. Just like that I was so willing to give up a part of my father. The only part he was able to leave behind.


	10. Secrets

**Hey readers! Just want to take the time to thank you for reading my story and helping keep Spider-Girl alive. Your comments are greatly appreciated and would love to hear your point of view. I need some inspiration to keep continuing the story. Hope you enjoy! **

Oscorp had a traitor. According to the news caster, Oscorp property had been stolen. Very little information was given about what was stolen other than it was still undergoing experimentation. The company had many enemies but the police were keen to believe it was an employee. Oscorp had heavy security and nothing could get out without a help from the inside; it wouldn't be a shocker if the company had another mad scientist on their hands. I feared that the culprit was Normie. I kept flashing back to what he had said to me. He had said that we were all doomed to repeat the mistakes of our fathers, that we were forced to continue their disputes. What if Normie were to follow in his father's footsteps like I had followed in mine? What would become of us then?

"_Hello? Good morning!" _Mom waved her hand in front of my face, breaking me out of thought. _"Where did you go?"_ She asked. Ever since our deal she had made it a point to watch me closely; like a drug addict that everyone feared could relapse at any moment. To not tempt me to go back to crime fighting, she made a great effort to block out any media, and not to mention she checked on me at least three times a night to make sure I wasn't sneaking out. I had stopped crime fighting just to ease her mind but it just seemed like she was more worried than ever. _"Just thinking about a paper due this Friday"_, I lied. She nodded in understanding and continued reading her emails on her phone.

"_Morning!"_ Ben happily chirped, bursting into the kitchen with great energy. _"Wow, someone slept well."_ Mom teased.

"I did! The best sleep ever! I just feel great". Ben was never a morning person, well come to think of it, none of us were. But mom usually had to drag him out of bed every morning.

" _It's too early to be so awake"_, I joked.

''_Wakey wakey sis! Carpe diem!"_

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him. Our relationship had quickly returned back to normal in the last two weeks. His mood seemed to have lifted when he found out his sister was no longer permitted to play hero. And besides mom trying to be my shadow, everything had seemed to go back to the way it used to be. Only I was no longer the same person and I felt such a crushing sense of guilt whenever I thought of me not being able to use my abilities to help people. It was like my whole purpose was stripped away and had just left this empty shell. But I wasn't permitted to show it, so I just tried as best as I could to be the old me. The post May. The May that didn't know her father had been Spider-Man.

_"And sis, don't wait for me after school"_, Ben said. _"I'm going over James's house to study for a test."_

"_No problem, I have basketball practice after school."_ I use to love practice but with my powers it was no longer a challenge and I had to constantly be checking to make sure I wasn't moving abnormally fast or jumping too high. I wanted to quit but I couldn't because the old May would have continued to play basketball.

"_Since when do you wear turtlenecks?" _I asked. From underneath his brown jacket, the the top of a red turtle neck crept up his neck. It was an intense shade of red and the material seemed silky. Ben looked down and fiddled with the zipper. _"It's part of a new look"_, he said. Then he turned to mom and gave her a peck on the cheek. _"Bye mom. I got to head out early today."_

"_Hold up, I'll walk with you."_ I took a final bite of my oatmeal and started to gather my things.

"_It's okay"_, he said quickly. _"I'll just slow you down. See you tonight, okay?"_ And before I could protest he made a quick exit. Mom and I shared a quizzical look. "_Teenaged boys",_ mom responded nonchalantly. _"One of life's great mystery's." _

_"Please don't! I'll get the money!_" The young man lay on the groud, blood dripping from his nose. Three men stood over the crumpled body. One of the men had a gun pointed to his head, gun cocked, and finger on the trigger. I had followed them to an abandoned warehouse after sensing trouble. Promise or no promise, no one was dying, not if I could help it. I was ready to pounce, armed with my web shooters and my makeshift mask, when something crashed through the window. Like a flash of light it bounced across the room; dodging a spray of bullets from all three men. Within seconds it had disarmed all three men and had wrapped them up in something… it looked like...webbing. I was watching Spider-Man. Whoever this was, he was wearing my father's costume.

"_Hey!" _I shrieked. The imposter took one quick glance at me and began to flee the scene. I attempted to grab him but I missed. The imposter began to leap from building to building, not bothering to pay one moment of attention to the badly dressed girl chasing after him. We bounced around the city; new Yorkers turning their heads up to the sky in great confusion. I stayed on his heels but he managed to stay one step ahead, a tad faster than me. _"Will you just stop!?"_ I finally demanded after twenty minutes through the chase.

And then with that, he abruptly stopped, causing me to barely avoid crashing into him. I lost my balance and wound up crashing on the floor of a building. The figure stood over me and I quickly jumped to my feet. Was the jerk actually laughing at me? _"That suit isn't yours. Who are you?"_

"_I'll give you one guess."_ The imposter chuckled. The imposter ripped off his mask and I found myself staring into the eyes of my little brother.

_"Hey big sis", Ben grinned. "Guess I'm my father's son after all."_


	11. Brother

**Hey readers! So this chapter had been a long time coming. I hadn't mean't to update again so soon but I knew I had to keep going, despite my worries. It was a bit hard to tackle at first but now that it's over I believe there will be smooth writing ahead. Question: What do you think of Ben's drastic change of character?**

In my eyes Benjamin was still my baby brother. When I would look at him I still saw this goofy kid that always made me laugh. He was still that little boy clutching my hand at daddy's funeral; so small and so confused by the world around him. From that day on I wanted to be the one to protect him from ever getting hurt again but for some reason, seeing him in that costume made me feel like a failure. I kept picturing my father surrounded by blood, taking his few last gasps of breath, his mask lying useless beside him. I didn't want to see Ben wearing that costume.

"_When did all this happen?'_ I asked, insensibly tracing my fingers over the face of the Spider-Man mask, my own face reflected in the mirrors that made up the eyes.

"_It's been about a week_", He said easily_." I've been dying to tell you but mom's been cracking down hard lately, so I waited."_

We were sitting at the edge of a building. It was a crisp night and the moon seemed low enough to grab. The old May would have looked down at the tiny cars beneath and panicked. Yet, I was no longer afraid of heights. Height and Spiders were now one of the few things that I could depend on for normalcy. Ben suddenly rose and began to teeter near the edge, looking as if he were about to fall at any moment. Benjamin! I snapped. He chuckled at me. Check this out! He then began to balance his entire body weight on one hand. His legs were pointed straight up and his other arm was horizontal. Then, grinning at me with a mischievous grin, he let himself fall backward over the side of the building. I sprang to dive after him but he immediately pulled himself up easily using one arm. _"Got you!" _He joked. I wanted to punch him in the face for giving me a heart attack.

"_Jeez! What the hell are you doing?"_

"_Relax! I'm just like you now. We're just like dad."_ He smiled proudly. Just like dad. That sentence kept ringing in my ear and then I suddenly realized how my mother felt when she found out I had inherited his powers. "_This is going to kill mom"_, I breathed.

He rolled his eyes. "_Mom is afraid of everything. She'll be fine. Besides, we're not going to tell her." _He plopped down next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder like a coconspirator. "_She doesn't have to know. We can team up. Just think of all we could do if we partnered up! We'll be like the Spider-siblings or something like that"._

"_Whoa, whoa! Just hold on!"_ I declared, waving my hands in a dismissive way. "_First of all: This isn't a game. This is dangerous stuff! Second of all: Two people swinging around the city is bound to catch media attention. And third: We can't as much breathe without mom knowing."_

"_What's so dangerous about it? We are stronger than anyone else on the planet. I think we can take on a few low lives. You said it yourself; there hasn't been a super powered villain since dad."_ At the mention of dad's absence we both fell silent. Then Ben quickly said_,"Come on, May. This is who we are."_ As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. This was our destiny and mom's feelings aside, we couldn't walk away from it. He used the same argument I had used against mom and this could be a good thing. There were two of us now, which gave us even a larger advantage. But why did I have this empty feeling in the pit of my stomach? The kind of feeling you get when you're about to experience the drop in a roller coaster.

" _Has mom come home yet?" _I mouthed after gently taping on my brother's window. Ben walked over and opened the window. "_Nope._ _Just called, said she will be here in ten_". I breathed a sigh of relief and crawled in. Since I was still on probation, Ben and I had worked out shifts. I usually had the evening shift, Ben took the night shift. We switched on days when I supposedly had basketball practice and yearbook; I had dropped both. Ben got away with the excuse of sleeping over a friend's house or having "track practice". We wouldn't be able to keep this up long once mom realized there would be no future games but as of now, it worked. On the weekend we were able to team up and together we seemed unstoppable.

My brother was a surprisingly awesome partner and not as reckless as I thought he would be. Together a job only took about half as much time and we were able to return home before mom grew too suspicious. We wore black hoodies and masks at night in order to avoid being clearly seen and in the day we tried to wear street clothes that wouldn't make us stand out. We tried to avoid using too much webbing so the cops wouldn't catch on. We were inexperienced but we did the best we could; watching old videos of our father in action and reading old news articles.

It was like our dad was still here, like every time we did some good he was a little bit more alive. Our bond as brother and sister even grow stronger because we shared a secret. We were no longer just the children of Peter Parker, but also the children of Spider-Man. Mom couldn't possibly understand, she didn't share this bond with him. So far nothing had gone wrong and I doubted anything could go wrong as long as there were two of us. We had easily kept up the charade for almost three weeks. But it wasn't long after that when I realized something wasn't right.

Uncle Flash and Ben were playing a game of basketball one evening. I had played with them for a bit but I had grown bored of moving slowly so I went inside. Ben and I were pretty careful about not using our powers, although it was really hard sometimes. It wasn't a serious game, we had mostly fooling around and making each other laugh. Ever since dad died, Flash had made it a point to play with us and do "manly" stuff with Ben whenever he had the chance. I was watching them from my window when Ben suddenly grew angry. Flash was teasing him like he usually did, nothing mean, just all in good fun. Ben was laughing and going along with him until Flash said something I didn't catch. Suddenly, Ben's face was contorted in rage, slightly shaking. Flash moved closer to him, his face full of concern. My brother tossed the basketball to the side and began walking away from. Flash called after him but my brother wouldn't look at him. Then as soon as Flash gently laid a hand on Bens shoulder to catch his attention, my spider sense sounded like an alarm. With an expression full of so much hate, he grabbed Flashes arm and bent it back, causing this sickening crack. Flash howled in pain and fell back. Was Ben smiling?

Mom and I were immediately outside. "_What happened?"_ Mom shrieked, stooping to tend to Flash. His bone was actually sticking out of his arm! Flash's eyes were full of horror as he looked up at a nonchalant Ben. "_What did you do?"_ I demanded. He simply shrugged and said _"Sports can be dangerous."_ Mom had begun to lead Flash to her car, careful not to touch the mangled arm. She had him in the passenger seat and was about to enter the driver side when Ben's face once again took on a sinister expression. "_Don't worry mom! It's just his arm!" _He called out to her. "_You can still screw him all you want!"_ Did he actually just say that!? Mom stopped, taken aback by her sons' words. Her eyes were wide, her mouth was agape. We were both in complete shock. The sound of Flash in pain snapped her from her daze. She looked from Ben's face, to mine, and then Ben's again before driving to the hospital.

"_What the hell is wrong with you?!_" I grabbed Ben by both shoulders and forced him to face me. His expression was eerily blank, almost bored. "_He made me mad._" He stated.

"_What could he have possibly told you to freaking break his arm!"_

"_He said I remind him of my father. That I'm a lot like him when he was my age._

"_And…?"_

Ben looked at me incredulously, like the answer was obvious. "_I'm nothing like my father, _he said menacingly, _I am so much stronger."_ My Spider-Sense began to sound and I instinctively moved out of his way. As he walked I noticed the nape of his neck. Was that blood? No…it was strange. Something entirely different. Then suddenly Normie's words echoed in my mind: "Carnage, science's answer to human weakness." It was Ben! Ben had taken Oscorps latest experiment: Carnage!


	12. Honor my Brother

The house is full of mourners from my dad's funeral; a faceless sea of black. Everyone is talking in quiet voices and watching me. Where's Benji? I make my way through the sea of black in search of my little brother. Then I spot him sitting on top of the stairs in his little suit and tie. He's seven years old; his knees pulled to his chest, red hair already a mess. I take a seat next to him.

Why are all these people in our house? Benji asks. I tell him it's because they knew daddy. He wrinkles his brow, _"Where did daddy go?"_ I tell him that daddy is dead. Benji stares at me expectantly like I know all the answers but I don't because I'm still a kid. I just keep wishing that daddy will come back and make all these people go away. But Benji is scared too so I have to pretend I'm brave. "_Mommy says he went to heaven_", I offer.

"_Will mommy go away with him? _

"_I don't think so. She can't leave us."_

"_What if she does go away?"_

I consider this. "_Well, then it will be you and me and I will take care of you."_ He smiles, looking up at me with bright eyes. "_Promise May? Promise you won't leave me too?"_

"_I promise Benji. I'm your big sister."_ He leans his head on my shoulder and we pretend that daddy will come home that night. That he would laugh because we fell asleep waiting for him and put us in bed. We were both afraid and so unsure of what was going to happen next but we both felt better knowing that we still had each other. That no matter what happened to us, we would always stay together.

Ever since that day, I had made it my mission to take care of my brother. It was a heavy duty to have on my shoulders but I knew mom was going to need all the extra help she could get, so I grew up overnight. Mom had always been such a strong woman, I realize now just how strong, but she was a mess when dad died. We would hear her cry herself to sleep every night; Ben crawling into bed with me because he was frightened. Then I would tell him funny stories until we were able to block out the sobbing and fall asleep. I made sure he ate his cereal in the morning, took a bath, and went to sleep when he was supposed to. Mom tried her best but I don't really remember her getting out of bed that first week so it really did feel like Ben and I were on our own for a while. But we managed to get through it and anything that came after that didn't seem like such a big deal. I honestly thought that when he entered high school that my biggest problem would be helping him get through heart break. Never in a million years did I see something like this did I feel so helpless when it came to Ben but now I was terrified. Terrified of what was to come.

"_You never had dad's powers, did you? You can do those things only because of what you stole from Oscorp."_ I was trying to keep composure but my voice slightly trembled. Ben just stood there staring at me, his face blank, as if I were reporting the weather. He didn't say anything. Wasn't he going to even try to explain himself? Why won't he say anything?

"_That thing you're wearing is dangerous! We have to get it off!"_

"_Why would I take it off? It's making me strong. You don't really expect me to just give it up? It's our destiny, you said it yourself."_

"_No, you stole that power! It wasn't yours to take." _

For a moment I thought that I had got through to him. He seemed as though he was pondering what I had said. Then he snorted. Okay. "_But I just gotta know. What makes you so great? What makes you the one that inherited dad's powers? Maybe it's just because you were the first born? I've just been trying to figure out why you of all people would just be given that power. You're afraid of your own shadow."_ We were standing on the same building we always used as our meeting spot. The sky was overcast and threatened rain. As if right on cue, thunder sounded.

"_I don't know._" I admitted. _I don't know why._ "_All I know is I can't give it back." _There was a change in his face. There was softness in his eyes. I started to slowly approach him. _Maybe you should have been the one with the powers._ I gestured to him. "_Can I just take a look at?"_ After a moment he nodded and turned his back to me. He took off his hoodies, revealing the muscular body of a man that wasn't his a few weeks ago. His arms were huge!

The creature had settled at the nap of his neck and continued down his spine like a vine. It was a bloody red with no particular form or face. It could as well been blood or a nasty gash. But when I moved to touch it, it retreated from my finger; slithering up to his neck before coiling and shrinking until it looked like a small gash. What the hell was this thing!?

"_This is bad." _I muttered. Ben put his hoodie back on. "_You keep saything that. But I have it under control."_

"_Under control? You broke Flashes' arm in two places!"_

"_I'm strong. Stronger than dad was and even stronger than you."_

"_That's abusing your power_", I said_. "Dad use to say that with great power comes great responsibility. I know now what he meant. _

"_Dads dead! And do you know why?!" _Suddenly the creature began to slowly creep up his neck. _He wasn't strong enough. You can keep your stupid powers. Be just like dad. His voice began to change, growing deeper and then it seemed like two people were talking at once. I'll do things my own way._" There was a flash of thunder and there was no longer my brother. There before stood the creature with such sinister eyes. _**"**__Stay out of my _way", it said before jumping off the building and disappearing

I spent hours looking for Ben but it was as if he had completely vanished. In the end I was forced to tell my mother everything. She stayed absolutely quite but her eyes played back the horror she was feeling. When I finally finished she spoke_. "It's happening again. It's all starting over."_ She then grabbed a picture of my father from the bedside table. It was the last picture my dad would have taken. "_Oh God!"_ She gasped, pressing the picture against her chest. She started to cry but immediately forced herself to stop. She pulled up her mattress, revealing a single key. She then opened her closet and began to rummage until she emerged with a large silver box. She placed it on the bed and inserted the key. Inside there were two envelopes; one addressed to Ben and one addressed to me.

"_As soon as each of you were born, your father wrote a letter. A letter that I was instructed to give you both if something had happened to him…and only if one or both of you had developed his powers. I should have given this to you sooner but I was hoping you wouldn't choose that life until you were at least eighteen. I'm so stupid to have thought that it all would just end. That Spider-Man would be put to rest."_

I held the envelope in my hand; there written on the front, in my dad's writing was May. The envelope was a bit bulky, containing something else other than a letter. My eyes met my moms and she forced a smile_. "It's going to be okay. We're going to get through this."_ Then from the silver box she held up a Spider-Man costume_. "I made this for you as soon as you inherited your powers. I was hoping I would never have to give it to you."_ She then walked out of the room and over her shoulder she said _"Bring your brother back home'_ Then she closed the door behind her.

The sound of the key turning the lock sounded and the door to the apartment opened. I switched on the lamp beside me. Normie gasped. There I sat on his couch, dressed in the red and blue costume that resembled the one my father had worn. "_Hello Normie._ _It's time we had another talk"._ Call me dramatic but it was nice to finally get the drop on him for a change. He wasn't the only one full of surprises. But my victory was short lived because it only took a moment for Normie to regain his composure.

"_Hello, May. Nice costume. What's the occasion?" _He said, calmly removing his coat and putting it nicely on the coat rack.

"_I know it was you."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Carnage", _I stated_. "It was part of your plan all along_."

Normie stood with his back to me, calmly pouring himself a drink. I shot some webbing at the glass and smashed it across the wall. That got his attention. "_Damn!_ "

"_You knew how dangerous it was."_ I continued. "_And you just handed it over to a kid."_

"_It was your choice. I just showed it to you. The rest was all you._" He told me.

"_This isn't my fault! I stood up abruptly"._ Enraged by his accusation. He immediately pulled out a gun and pointed it at me.

"_Are you really going to try to shoot me?"_ I asked in disbelief.

"_I'll only shoot you if I have to. So it comes to this, huh? You found out the truth and now you want me dead. Kind of ironic. I didn't think you would have the guts." _What the hell was he talking about?

"_Are you nuts? I didn't come here to kill you. I hate what you've done to Ben but I need your help." _A quizzical look came across his face. "_Ben? What are you talking about?"_ He lowered his gun. _"We seem to have a miscommunication. Why are you here?'_

"_Carnage is attached to Ben. I know you handed it to him. You knew that it could kill him but you didn't care. You're so obsessed with the past."_ I told him. I was so stupid for letting him back into our lives.

"_Benjamin has Carnage?"_ He asked. He seemed genuinely confused. "_I didn't give him carnage. You stole it. You were the only outside personal who had seen it. Why would I just hand it over to the Parkers? I thought you were here to use it against me."_

"_Why would I do that?"_ I asked. He just stood there staring at me and for once it looked like he had dropped all defenses. "_You really are just a kid" _He said it like a realization. "_Your brother came to see me a few weeks back. Told me to stay away from your family."_

"_He used my Oscorp key card".._ I realized. He wanted to protect the family. But why steal? That was so unlike Ben. He wasn't compulsive; he always thought things through. Why play around with a deadly experiment? "_You have to help me get it off. We have to get it off him!"_

"_Why should I help you?"_ He countered. _Why don't I just let you two rip each other apart?"_

"_We aren't our parents! Ben shouldn't suffer because of what happened between our_ _families._" Normie said nothing, once again turning away to pour himself a drink. "_Please!"_ I begged_. "I can't let him die. Don't you think we've lost enough already?"_

"_Fine._" He said, his back still turned to me. _"No guarantees, though."_ Then he turned to face me_. "But it still won't change anything."_

\


	13. Waking Nightmare

_"__Every day that goes by, he becomes less and less your little brother. Carnage has never been attached to a human being so there is no limit to the destruction it can cause. It drove the lab mice insane; watch him closely. The suit feeds off aggression so don't anger him."_

Normie's words echoed in my mind that night when I found Ben fast asleep in his bed. He seemed so normal that part of me wondered if I had merely imagined that monster. But my imagination wasn't creative enough to invent something so unearthly insidious. Ben was lying on his stomach; wet hoodie thrown on the ground. Opening his door just a crack, allowing the hallway light to come in, I saw the creature resting on his back. A wave of anger overcomes me and I have the urge to rip the creature off. But I can't. Once carnage had been removed, the lab mice had died 24 hours later.

"_Just let me figure something out. In the meantime follow him. Don't let him out of your sight." _Normie had said.

"_So you expect me to just go home and pretend everything is normal"?_ I asked.

"_As normal as your family can pretend to be."_

My mother's door was shut and I could hear her moving things around. Is she redecorating? At least she was safe. Safe from her youngest child. Safe from my little brother. I shut the door to my room and changed into my pajamas; hiding my costume in the back of the closet. Beside my bedside lamp stood one of my favorite pictures of my father. In the photo, my father had fallen asleep on the couch, and me, only a few months old, fast asleep on his chest. Mom told me she took this picture after coming home from an awful day. She said that seeing this made her realize how important the little things are. Now, after an awful day, I often look to this photo for comfort.

_ "I could really use your help, daddy._" I whisper to the photo. It felt like hours before I finally fell asleep. Then came the nightmares; abstract and hard to remember when I woke but the fear still lingered. Every hour the sensation of being watched overcame me and I would wake with a jolt. And every time I opened my eyes, for a split second, I saw Carnage inches from my face. But once I flipped on the light it was gone and the door to my room was still locked. This went on and on all night.

Sometime during the night I found myself walking to the kitchen for a glass of water. I was in the kitchen when I sensed that someone was in the living room. I could see a dark figure facing away from me. The figure was tall and stood eerily still. "_Ben?"_ I whisper, my heart pounding like crazy. Why won't he face me? Then suddenly, he falls face down into the carpet as easily as if he weighted nothing. I scream and rushed to his side; he's so light! I turned him over, trying to get a look at his face but I scream in horror once I see that his face is completely gone; nothing but a blank slate of skin. I started screaming, I want to run. As soon as I turn I see Carnage facing me_. "It's okay, May." _The monster assures me. "_You won't feel a thing!"_ He opens his mouth wide and starts to devour me! I'm being eaten alive!

I jolt awake, body drenched in sweat under tangled sheets. The first thing I see is my brother leaning on my door frame, staring at me. "_Time for school."_ He says flatly, before turning and making his way downstairs.

"_Why are you following me?"_ Ben turns around to face me. I had been keeping close tabs on him all day. We are both in street clothes; I have to walk abnormally fast to catch up with him. "_Last time I checked, we were supposed to be partners." _As I get closer it's hard to ignore his sunken eyes and pasty skin. "_Geez, Ben. This thing is eating you alive._"

He rolls his eyes and begins walking away. I hurry to catch up. "_Okay, look. I just don't understand. Help me understand."_

"_I don't expect you to"._ He says, not slowing his pace. "_Little Miss Perfect." _

"_Why do you keep calling me that? You should know better than anyone that I'm not perfect!"_

He doesn't answer. We're walking through the city and the sun is beginning to set. We are probably only a blur to people; rushing by and disappearing before they could even process us. We have covered more ground than humanly possible and aren't even out of breath. There's got to be some way to reach him, to knock some sense into him.

"_You remember that time you climbed that huge tree?"_, I blurt. "_But once you reached the top you were too afraid to come down, so daddy had to climb up and get you."_ Don't know why I am thinking of this but I am inexplicably clinging to that memory.

He suddenly stops walking. "_What do you want from me, May? Do you want me to laugh and pretend that everything is fine? It's never going to be fine." _

"_I want to know that you're still my brother. I want to know where you begin and that thing ends."_

He's about to respond when suddenly his eyes turn cold and I notice two guys walking toward us. "Hey baby!" One of the men exclaim. I roll my eyes and don't even bother to glance at them but Ben's eyes are trained on them as if he is in some sort of trance. As they get closer they continue to try to grab my attention but I'm too preoccupied with how attentive Ben is to them. "_Benjamin?'_ Then I feel that tingling sensation in my head and before I have time to react, Ben grabs one of the guys single handedly by the throat and slams him hard against the brick wall. Then Carnage completely engulfs him until there is no more Ben, only Carnage.

The other mam yells in horror and begins to run but one of the creatures arm stretches and expands until it wraps around the other guy. _So, you like to prey on defenseless little girls, huh? Do you want to know what I like to prey on?! _The creature hisses.

"_Let them go!"_ I yell. I rush toward him and grab one of his arms but even with my strength I can't pry him off. The two guys are kids, no older than me. He's going to kill them! I throw a punch at the creatures face and it turns to me in anger, dropping the two boys. "_Stay out of this!_" It hisses, grabbing me with one of it's claws and throwing me against a brick wall. I hit the back of my head hard but manage to jump out of the way as it tries to crush my skull with one of its massive fists. I shoot webbing at him but it has no affect and only enrages him further. How can I fight this thing? It's a thousand times stronger!

I've got to get him away from the street. I begin to climb up the building as fast as I can. The creature pursues me, clawing off huge chunks of the building as it climbs. When we reach the top of the building I move away just in time before it grabs me. "_You have to fight it, Ben! This isn't you!"_

The creature takes another swing at me and I barely dodge it. "_You're my brother!_" Then I see stars as it slams me face first into the floor. I can feel the blood gushing from my nose and mouth. My brothers going to kill me! It wraps one of itw massive arms around me so tightly that I can barely struggle. "_I'm your sister!"_ I choke.

"_Not for long !"__ It cackles._ There it comes, the final blow that will split my head open. I'm going to die. Is this how my dad felt before he died? So helpless, unable to do anything as death stared him in the face. Then it abruptly drops me. The creatures head splits in two, exposing Ben's face underneath it. "_No!"_ He screams. He's struggling as if he is trying to free himself of carnage.

"_Get out of here, May! I can't hold it much longer!" _

I stare at him in disbelief. "_GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_ He howls.

Then I take a leap off the building and swing away, too afraid to look back and with no idea how to save my brother or myself from the creature.


	14. To Die For

_**Dear followers, Thank you for your wonderful comments. I loved reading the Spider-Girl comments and am deeply saddened that they are discontinued. I hope that one day a new writer will revive her tale but until then I have decided to keep her memory alive. If you enjoy this story then I ask you to share it with other fans. I'm hoping my stories will comfort old fans and bring in a new interest for Mayday Parker. So please review and share if you too want to keep her memory alive. And maybe the character of Ben will inspire some stories himself. Thanks!**_

"_Ben? Honey, please open the door!"_

At home I find mom desperately knocking on Ben's bedroom door.

"_What's going on!?" _I exclaimed. I had webbed swung all the way home in hopes of protecting my mother from her own son. But instead I find her pleading with him to come out of his room. But before she is able to answer I hear something shatter in his room.

"_Please! Just go away!"_ My brother shouts through the door.

Mom is about to say something but she gasps when she takes one look at my bruised and bloody face.

_What happened!?_ She demands, grabbing my bruised arm, causing me to wince. What can only be described as an animalistic shriek sounds on the other side of the door, followed by the sound of something heavy being thrown.

"_Mom, you have to get out of here! Drive to a friend's house, and stand there for a while! You can't be here!" _I say to her urgently.

"_I'm not leaving either of you!" _

"_It's not safe! I can't control him!"_

The strangled cries and the sound of things being thrown around continue. "_I can't get it off!" _Ben cries. "_**It's going to kill you!"**_

Then the house shakes and it sounds like an explosion has erupted. I kick the door down and am faced with a giant gaping hole where the wall that once had a window use to be. The bed is turned over, the desk is in pieces, and the posters that use to adorn the walls were violently ripped off. The room is in shambles and Ben is gone.

"_Where'd he go?!" _Mom shouts, staring at the spot that use to once have a wall.

I'm about to tell her that I have no idea. I'm about to collapse on the floor and cry. But then Normie's face comes to mind and I suddenly realize that I have no time to waste. I have to get to Oscorp! I put on my costume.

"_Don't"_ I shout, kicking Carnage from behind, causing him to turn away from Normie, who lay on the floor, trying to scramble to his feet.

"_Ben, you can fight this!"_

His parts, revealing Ben's face beneath. "_He did this to me!"_ He hisses.

"_No, Ben. You did this to yourself._"

"_Osborn doesn't deserve to breathe! It's because of his family that dad is dead!_"He spits.

"_You can't blame him for what his father did. We aren't our parents. Their battle isn't ours to fight. _ _Normie's the only one who could get that off of you."_

Suddenly Ben's face is replaced with Carnage. "_You're with me or against me!"_ Carnage's arm extends and I barely dodge out of the way of the fatal blow. The creature lets out an ear piercing shriek and attempts to once again strike me. I move out of the way but am knocked off my feet. Carnage wraps his hands around my throat_. "Daddy's little girl._" He teases. I am face to face with the insidious creature; looking into black, bottomless pits that make up its eyes. I watch as one of his arms takes the shape of a knife. "_Night, Night"!_ I want to shout out his name to snap him back into reality but he's crushing my throat. A tear slides from my eye. Then the sound of heavy metal music fills the room. Carnage shrieks, its grip loosening. Normie stands beside the stereo system, his hand on the volume control. "_You don't like sound, do you?_" He mocks. He raises the volume and the creature drops me to the ground. I cough and gasp, filling my lungs with air. Carnage leaps forward, smacking Normie against the wall and destroying the stereo. The creature stands over him.

"_Oscorp created you! Your Oscorps property!" _Normie shouts, blood trickling from his nose.

"_Carnage belongs to no one!_"He cackles.

"_That human host won't last forever! The body won't be able to sustain you, then you'll be powerless."_ Normie insists.

"_I'll find a new body. There are thousands of weak humans out there. This one barely showed resistance." _

"_You prey on the weak because you can't survive on your own! You're a spineless creature Carnage."_

His arm takes the shape of a knife once again and stabs Normie through his shoulder. He cries out in pain. The creature is delighted by his pain and becomes more blood thirsty at the sight of blood.

"_Spineless? I can smell your fear. I know all you're little secrets, Osborn. You're a sad little boy, Normie. Crying for his daddy, and putting on family pants that are too big for you. You wanted that girl dead, but never had the guts to do it yourself. You're the spineless creature, don't I do you a favor and put you out of your misery?"_

"_I pounce on his back, arms around his throat to keep him from throwing me off. Fight this thing Ben!_" I plead with him. _You are stronger than this thing! Listen to my voice. Do you remember that at daddy's funeral, I promised that no matter what happened I would take care of you?"_

Carnage pries me from his back and throws me. I manage to stick to the ceiling. "_You're my baby brother. And I'll always love you no matter what happens. You've always been stronger than me. It always seemed like you weren't afraid of anything. You taught not to be so scared of living. You're stronger than me and Carnage has nothing to do with it!"_

" _Benjamin isn't here anymore."_ The creature mocks as it starts to crawl after me.

It's no use. Carnage won't stop until he kills as many people as possible. He killed my brother. No more running away, no more crying; If he's going to kill me then I will go down fighting.

"_Come and get me, lab experiment!"_ I mock. The creature continues to pursue me, so close behind that I can hear it breathing in my ear. He's fast, I barely mange to stay one step ahead. I got to get out of this confined space! I crawl out the window, climbing to the top of the building. I don't have a plan, I don't know what to do next, but still I climb.

"_Climb, little Spider! Climb!_" He cackles. My limbs are sore and I'm finally out of breath but I mange to push myself to the very top. I pull myself up when something grabs my leg. I am instantly pulled back over the side of the building. I dangle upside down, the city spinning beneath me. I struggle and kick and punch the creature but it has no effect.

"_**I've underestimated your powers. Maybe I can use you after all."**__He says in that evil voice that is no longer my brothers._

"_You can have my body, you can have my powers, but you have to release my brother!"_ I plead. "_I'm stronger and faster. You don't need him anymore! I won't resist you, just let him go!"_

I knew that Ben would die once Carnage detached himself from him but I wanted him to at least die as himself. What more could I ask for at this point? I had failed at protecting my little brother. I was never fit to where this costume. "_With great power comes great responsibility"_, I hear my father's voice echo in my head and I whisper them people I love are my responsibility. I don't want to die but at least mom would be able to put one of her children's bodies in the ground. I started all this.

"_Struggle and I'll break you from the inside out."_ He says. His mouth widens just like in my nightmare. He's going to devour me! I shut my eyes shut and brace myself for the pain. I silently pray that I'll pass out before the pain becomes too unbearable. I see the faces of the people I love flash before my eyes: Dad in his suit and tie, smiling down at me with warm brown eyes. Mom's silky hair brushing against my face as she holds me. Ben's contagious laughter. Here it comes….

"_May, no!"_ I hear my brother scream. I see my brothers face and I start to fall. I web myself to the side of the building before I fall to my death. Above me I see Carnage struggling with himself. I see a tangle of limbs; Ben's arms fighting to be free. The creatures head continues to split as Ben tries to escape him. The creature shrieks, almost losing its hold. "_LET ME GO!_" Ben screams.

Carnage slams his head hard against the building and shrieks. They're both struggling to take control and it looks like Carnage is being torn in half. I catch a quick glimpse of my brothers green eyes and my heart sinks. Still attached; together they fall with such rapid speed, hurling toward the ground. I try to grab them with my web shooters but I miss. And before I could even blink they both crash to the ground, the pavement underneath breaking away as they hit with such speed. Then I no longer see any movement.

By the time I climb down I hear sirens and people are starting to gather. My brother's body lies in a small crater made by the impact of him hitting the ground. Carnage is nowhere to be seen. People gasp at the sight of me. "_Spider-man!?" _One person shouts. "_That's not him!_" Somebody interjects. It's a girl! Another person insists. Blood is pouring from his nose and mouth. He's barely breathing but he managed to somehow survive the fall; his eyes aimlessly searching until they fixate on me.

"_I….not….going…..let….hurt….you."_ He sputters.

I lean close to him. "_No you didn't"_, I sob. "_You stopped Carnage, Ben. You saved me! You're stronger than him"._ At this, a faint smile starts to form on his lips. Then his mouth goes slack as his eyes close.

The cops are shocked at the sight of me and tell me to freeze, but I'm not moving. I can't move. My eyes are fixed on his chest which is still slowly rising and falling. All sound is gone except for the sound of Ben's shallow breathing. "_That's my son!"_ A familiar voice cuts through. Mom has forced her way through the ground despite the protests of the police and falls to her knees beside her son. The police start to close in on us but she screams at them to stay away. "_You have to get out of here._" She whispers to me, eyes not leaving Bens' face. "_Don't let them take you._" I'm paralyzed. "_Go!_" She shouts and I automatically jump up and disappear into the night.

I follow the ambulance to the hospital in my street clothes and meet my mother inside. She sits on the ground before the double surgical doors that now hold my brother's life within them. Her knees are pulled to her chest and she has this dead look in her eyes. I kneel in front of her and wrap my arms around her. We begin to sob uncontrollably. Heavy sobs until neither of us can breathe.


	15. Life After Spider-Man

Dear Readers,

Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm with me. I cherish each and every comment left and cannot express how much I love them. This is the last chapter of this Spider-Girl story but I am thinking of continuing May's journey, as well as further developing her relationship with Normie. I have also been playing with the idea of starting a Mary Jane fan fiction. Would anyone be interest in reading? Keep Spider-Girl alive!

_I'm in a church. There's an open coffin. Someone is in there. My heart is pounding against my chest as I get closer and closer. I peer over the side and see myself lying inside the __coffin; I'm in my costume. I start to scream when I feel the weight of a hand on my shoulder and I abruptly turn. It's my father. "It's okay baby," He whispers soothingly. His eyes are a golden brown and he's smiling lovingly. I'm a child again; everything__ is so much taller than me. This time when I look back at the coffin it's empty._

_"Daddy, I'm scared". I confess_

_"I know". He says, scooping me up in his arms. "It's okay to be scared. But daddy won't let anything hurt you."_

_"You promise?"_

_"I promise." He h__olds me tight and I bury my face in his chest. Then it seems like the church is split in half. The church suddenly ends and leads to a grassy field; my house stands alone beneath an orange sky. Mom stands on the other end of the aisle expectantly; she seem__s so far away from dad. I know that I'm supposed to go with her but I hesitate. Ben runs toward me, the same age he is now. I open my arms to hug him but he runs past me into the darkness. I try to call after him but no sound __leaves my mouth. " It's okay, __baby.". Daddy repeats. Then when I turn to face him, he's no longer there. In his place stands Carnage__**. "Wake up, May"! **__He cackles. He pushes me and I begin to fall into nothingness._

_ I jolt awake and the first thing I see is Normie. "__You were talking in __your sleep__", he says sheepishly. __Where am I? __I left my head from the uncomfortable arm rest and remember that I'm still in the hospital. "__Ben!" __I sit up so quickly that my head begins to pound and the spray of bruises on my body scream in protest._

_ " Th__ere's still no change."__ Normie admits, looking away from me. After Ben had come out of surgery we found out that he was in a coma. He had a few broken ribs, a collapsed lung, internal bleeding, and had broken various bones in his body but so far he was sti__ll breathing. It was the bond with Carnage that must have saved him. No normal human being would have survived that fall. The last thing I remember was making my way to the cafeteria but I obviously didn't make it there._

_ "__What time is it?"__ I squint up at __him and notice that his right arm is in a sling. "__Seven am.__" Normie tells me. He notices me staring at his sling. "__Oh, it's just a fractured scapula".__ He informs me. "__You're brother went pretty easy on us, considering.__" He adds. He seems so awkward and unc__omfortable, like he wants to desperately say something but has no idea how to start._

_ "__I should get back to my mom." __ I tell him, slowly pulling my badly bruised body from the chair. "__Of course",__ he says. "__Oh, and let your mom know that the payments are ta__ken care of. She doesn't have to worry."_

_ "Thanks. I'll uh, let her know". __We both stand there, neither of us not wanting to address the inevitable. I nod my head and turn away. "__May?__"His voice is strained. "__I'm….sorry. For everything.__" The words__ are simple and vague but they speak volumes to my ears._

_ "__He's going to be okay. I know he is."__ I say it out loud more to reassure myself than to reassure him__. "He's going make it past those 24 hours."_

_ "__Yeah, he's a strong kid.__" He offers but avoids maki__ng eye contact with me. "__Let me know what happens, if there's any change."_

_ "__I better get back to my family."__ I tell him. I start walking away but the uneasy feeling has returned and I feel like crying. I stop walking. "__Has Carnage been found?__" I ask over __my shoulder._

_ "__No."_

_ "__It's not over, is it?"_

_He doesn't answer so I make my way toward my brothers' hospital room._

_ Mom sits beside the hospital bed. Her eyes are bloodshot and her hair is disheveled. She has significantly aged; lines I never __noticed before have appeared around her eyes and her forehead. At the sight of Ben I have to catch my breath. He's as still as death but his chest continues to slowly rise and fall. His face is badly bruised and a tube is helping him breathe. His body is w__rapped in bandages. He's unrecognizable and so far away from the picture of health he use to be._

_ -"just rest for now, Benji." She tells him. "You're exhausted. When you wake up it's going to be a fresh start. Put everything behind you."_

_ I stand near the__ doorway, she doesn't see me. I should give her some privacy but I can't bring myself to leave the room. She is holding his hand while she speaks._

_ "__You look so much like your father. He would have been so proud to see the man you have become. I'm proud of__ you. And I'll always be. We all make mistakes. We can't help being human, but we can choose how we'll let it affect us. We can let our mistakes define us or we can learn and grow from them. But first, you have to wake up."_

_ She goes silent; the heart moni__tor her only response. The old May would have been inconsolable, seeing her mother so devastated and her brother fighting for his life. The old May's instinct would have been to run and not stop until she felt some distance from her grief. That May no long__er exists and in her place stands a stranger I haven't fully gotten to know. She doesn't run, she doesn't cry. She stands looking head on at the face of death._

_"Hey, Benji." __I force a smile on my face. __"We've had a pretty crazy night. But everything's goi__ng to be okay now. We'll talk about it. When you wake up."__ The room is still and the only two things I allow myself to hear are the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the ticking of the clock that acts as a harbinger of death. 24 hours._

_ "__I thought yo__u were sleeping."__ Mom says._

_ "__You're the one that should be asleep"._

_ "__I'm fine. How are you feeling?"__ She frowns. She is looking at the bruises on my face. I take a peek at my reflection in the bathroom mirror and cringe. My outside reflects how I feel __i__nside: bruised and beaten. I lift up my shirt; black, purple, and yellow bruises adorn my stomach and sides. Mom appears in the mirror behind me. Through the mirror we study one another. Then she lets out a long, tired sigh._

_ "__The swellings gone down a li__ttle bit." __She offers._

_ "It's not as bad as it could have been."_

_ "That doesn't make me feel any better. I never could have imagined, not even in my worst nightmares that we would be here today. "But then again, life is never what you expect." __She walks ba__ck to her sons' side.__ "Not at all what you picture."_

_I stand beside her and hold her hand. She squeezes my hand in response. I use to think I knew everything there was to know about my mother but after these past few months, I realize I may never fully kno__w her. What other secrets was she forced to bury deep inside herself? How is she emotionally take before she breaks?_

_The news ran a story about Oscorp all day; speculation on Oscorp being involved in testing experimental drugs. They said that it was believ__ed those drugs were stolen and sold on the black market. The said drug contained a heightened LSD affect that allegedly caused a teenager to jump off a low building. Details were sketchy and the identity of the said teenager was unknown. And I was going to__ make sure it stayed unknown._

_The affect Carnage had on Ben had been like that of a drug; consuming. And now we were experiencing the withdrawal. But Carnage was far more than a drug. It twisted his mind and fed on his rage. He became highly addictive to t__he power Carnage granted him and made everyone else out to be a threat. The relationship was symbiotic: Carnage gave Ben power and __Ben gave Carnage a body. And it was apparent that Carnage had planned to spread from human to human once his current body out__ did its use._

_It was around 11: 00 pm and Ben still hadn't opened his eyes. Mom tried to make me go home to get some rest but she had no idea that his time was quickly coming to an end. I fought with the nurses until they let us stay the night. Time was ru__nning out._

_"You can't leave me, you know." __I whispered to him as mom finally slept. "__I can't____take losing you too.__I'm not a hero like dad. I'm not as brave as mom. I'm just May. I'm your big sister and I can't be that if you aren't around. We promised that__ we would always take care of each other, remember? You can't break our promise now. We're a team."_

_I remembered how he held my hand as I cried at daddy's funeral. I saw him defending me against those thugs that night on the subway, standing protectively i__n front of me. I once again saw that desperate look in his eyes before he fell. He had saved my life and now he was fighting for his._

_"Please wake up."__ I begged. "__If you can hear me, then please wake up."_

_Not a twitch, not a sigh; just the sound of the hea__rt monitor and nurses walking past the door. Mom sighs in her sleep. I just sat there for I don't know how long, staring at him until my vision blurred, silently begging him to open his eyes. Then like the child I was began to cry for my father._

_"Daddy, pl__ease don't let him die. If someone has to die, then let it be me instead. You always said that with great power comes great responsibility. Well my family is my responsibility and what good are these stupid powers if I can't help them?!"_

_I began to sob unc__ontrollably. The weight of these past few months finally hitting me head on. I could no longer suppress it. I don't know how much she heard but Mom was quickly at my side, embracing me in a hug. I use to strongly believe in an afterlife, especially after __dad died. I had checked out numerous books from the library about death and reincarnation until mom took me to see a child psychologist. I use to sit in the closet and have full conversations with my father as if he were still alive. "__Sweetheart, daddy's n__ot here anymore."__ Mom had told me after she discovered me in the closet. "__He could still hear me."__ I would insist. __"You just can't hear him."_

_Maybe it was just the result of a mix of exhaustion and desperation but here I was, a sixteen year old, calling fo__r her deceased father. You would think that at this age I would be able to distinguish fantasy from reality. Yet despite the sobbing I suddenly felt comforted. This inexplicable warmth filled the chill room and my sobbing died down. I thought back to the d__ream I had the other night. Before the dream had turned dark, my dad had been holding me, telling me that everything was going to be ok. _

_Then I heard my mother gasp. Then she yelled for the nurse. I turned and my eyes met with Ben's. The doctor and the nu__rse came in and started asking __him questions. His eyes wonder__ around the room in confu__sion until his eyes land on mom's face._

_Benjamin? She askes expectantly. Doesn't he recognize us? Then suddenly a smile spreads across his face and he says __"I think I saw dad."_

_"__This hospital food sucks__"__, Ben said, moving around the mashed potatoes with his spork. His head was still bandaged, his left __leg and__ right arm in a cast. __He still had a long way to full __recovery but he was out of danger. __His face was __still bruised and breathing still hurt but he never looked more alive._

_"__I'll try to sneak you some extra Jell-o.__"__I laugh__. He had had a full morning of visitors. His elaborate story was that he had been drinking and fell of the roof. Even Uncle Flash had com__e to visit and gave Ben thi__s hug speech about how drinking and doing drugs can ruin your __life. Even though Flash had forgiven him for breaking his arm, he wouldn't let Ben get away that easy. I expected the dangers of drugs and drinking to be a const__ant conversation whenever Flash saw Ben. Normie called me but didn't think a visit would be appropriate, especially after all that had happened.__ I didn't want to think of Oscorp or Carnage, or Spider-Man. I just wanted to be with my family._

_"__Are you in pain__?__"__ I ask__._

_"__As long as the medicine keeps working__, I'll live." __He retorted. He was back to the old Ben we __loved. Mom was talking to one of the nurses so for now it was just the two of us. _

_"__Glad to have __you __back, little brother.__"__I smiled. __"__I feel like it's been a long time since I last saw you._

_"__I wasn't me for a while back there. It was Carnage.__"_

_"__What did it feel lik__e?"__ I inquired._

_He pushed his tray out of the way and began to lower his bed__.__ "__Like I was a puppet on a string. I could see and hear what w__a__s happening but I had no control over my body. Not even over my thoughts.__"__ He twitched at the memory. _

_A chill went up m__y spine. __Carnage does feed on __rage,__ I say__. __"__You must have had a lot of things buried deep inside. Anger towards me…__"__.__ My voice trailed off. This very fact had been bothering me for a while now. I could feel his eyes on me but I busied myself with lookin__g out the window. He sighed._

_"__Do you remember that night on the subway?__" He asked__. __"__I couldn't help you. And if your powers hadn't kicked in, they would have…hurt you.__"_

_"__But you did everything-__"_

_"__Wasn't enough__"__,__ he broke in. __"__How was I supposed to feel? I couldn't protect __my own sister. I thought it was my job to take care of the family, but when you inherited your powers, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where I fit in. I guess that's why I went to Oscorp. I had intended just to threaten Normie, but I remembered wha__t you said about Carnage. If __Carnage was made in the image of my father, then I thought I could handle that kind of power__. __Not my brightest moment, I know.__"__He rolled his eyes. _

_"__I didn't realize how much my powers had affected you. I mean, I was too busy thinking __about myself.__" _

_"__Are you kidding__"__ He asked__. __"__Your problem is that you don't think enough about yourself. Even before those powers you were tryi__ng to be some kind of Super May__.__"_

_I__ laugh. "__I__ guess we suffer from the same problem. We both think it's our job to take care__ of everyone__." I realize__. __"__I guess it's another something we inherited from our dad.__"_

_Ben nods__ in agreement. __"__There can never be an__other Spider-Man__. If I were to inherit his po__wers too, I wouldn't even come close to dad__."_

_"__Hey, don't you ever doubt yourself again._

_. The news then said something about Spider-Man so we both turned our attention to the TV. The news caption read: __**Is Spider-Man back?**_

_"__It wasn't a man!__"__ A witness insisted__. __"__It was a girl, I could tell because she had breasts. She was really sm__all and skinny, not quite a wom__an's body. Definitely a girl. Some kind of __Spider-Girl.__"_

_"__Spider-Girl?__"__ I heard myself ask out loud._

_'__Spider-Girl__"__. __Ben responded__.__ "__ Spider-Woman sounds like it's been done before.__"_

_We both laughed __and turned our attention back to the T__V. It did have an appealing ring to it._

_THE END__ FOR NOW_


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